


R4 & A4- Rewritten History

by thudworm



Series: Tony Stark Bingo 2019 [9]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hydra Won (Marvel), Ambiguous/Open Ending, Amnesia, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hopeful Ending, basically Steve and Co weren’t completely successful at stopping Hydra, mostly offscreen violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 01:31:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19218874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thudworm/pseuds/thudworm
Summary: Combined fill for the ‘Hydra Won’ & ‘Amnesia’ squares for Tony Stark Bingo.Exactly what it says on the tin: Hydra are dicks, and amnesia.





	1. R4- AU: Hydra Won

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not exactly happy with the title, but I wanted to get this finally posted rather than struggle to come up with something better...

The first Tony heard about the world going to shit was after everything had already gone down. 

JARVIS had found signs of an ill gotten cache of SI weapons in rural Ukraine of all places, and something about it didn’t add up when compared to other stockpiles Tony had sought out and destroyed. He hadn’t made a secret of his efforts to remove weapons from anyone with nefarious intentions with extreme prejudice, which made it an obvious way to lay a trap for Iron Man.

Tony was using the newest of his suits, this one designed with stealth in mind. There was no better way to test its capabilities than by flying into a potential trap. The one downside to the current design was the need to keep the communication systems in blackout mode.

“JARVIS, make a note to develop a stealth compatible communications method. I don’t like being shut off from the outside world for so long.”

“Noted, Sir. As we have determined this to be a false lead, would you like to disengage stealth mode?”

“Go for it JARVIS. This was a waste of time, let’s go home.”

The facility Tony had spent hours investigating appeared to be an old military outpost that had been abandoned for decades. There was nothing more high-tech than computers so ancient they were running on DOS, let alone modern weapons. 

“Sir, I am receiving some rather concerning reports.” JARVIS sounded very apprehensive, which was not a good sign. It took a lot to perturb the typically unflappable AI. 

“There is conflicting information available, but it appears that Director Fury was shot and killed. There are claims that Captain Rogers was involved in his death, and SHIELD has initiated a man hunt to bring him in. Other sources are stating that SHIELD is not to be trusted, and that they have, in fact, been subverted by Hydra.”

“Hydra? As in, those Nazi assholes who were after the super soldier serum even after it created the Red Skull, and who’s plan Cap went into the ice to stop?”

“Yes Sir, they appear to be the same ‘assholes.’”

“How quickly can I make it back to DC?” Tony asked, after he had already taken to the sky.

“Assuming the thrusters can maintain current speed, expected travel time is 5 hours and 12 minutes.”

There was barely anything he could do from the other side of the world, except to watch what little information JARVIS could bring up on the HUD, and attempt to contact any of the other Avengers. 

“Sir, the Project Insight helicarriers you consulted on for SHIELD are being prepared for launch significantly ahead of schedule. They are expected to be in position in less than three hours. I believe it is reasonable to assume they have been subverted to Hydra’s control.”

Just when Tony had thought things couldn’t get any worse. “I knew there was a reason I didn’t trust them with the engine schematics. If we can manage to bring them down at least they won’t be able to replace them.”

The bad news just would not stop coming, though. The countdown to launch that JARVIS had helpfully provided jumped from having two hours remaining to a warning that the helicarriers were launching immediately. Hopefully that was a sign someone was trying to stop Hydra. 

“JARVIS, please, please tell me you have some good news for me for once. Like someone pulling a miracle from their ass and doing something to stop this.”

“Based on what little information I have been able to find through SHIELD’s systems, it appears that Captain Rogers, Agent Romanoff, Agent Hill, and one other unidentified individual with wings are engaged in an attempt to alter Project Insight’s targeting algorithm.”

Tony didn’t get a chance to ask about the wings before JARVIS was flashing every available warning on the HUD. 

There was no time to evade all of the incoming projectiles or to shoot them down before they shot him down, but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying. Tony was successful in avoiding the first few, but one managed to make a direct hit. He had a moment to wonder if this whole setup was part of Hydra’s grand plan, or if some other opportunistic evil organisation taking advantage of the circumstances, before he blacked out. 

 

*

 

When Tony stirred back into consciousness it was to a world of pain. He kept his eyes closed and did his best to keep his breathing slow and even, despite the pain of each breath. He’d learnt a few things from Clint and Nat about situations like this, waking up in an unfamiliar and probably hostile place, and step one was to gather as much information as possible without giving away an advantage like your captors thinking you were still unconscious. 

He had been removed from the armour and the under suit, which left him lying on a cold hard surface, bare except for his underwear, which his captors had oh so kindly left alone. There was a shackle around one ankle, but the rest of his limbs were free to move. As far as Tony could tell without looking, nothing seemed broken, he was just bruised as hell. Feeling his ribs, he was struck with the thought that if he still had the arc reactor in place things would probably be going much worse for him. 

It was quiet which meant there was probably no one standing there watching him in person, but that just meant they were probably watching and listening through cameras. There was no point in putting off the inevitable any longer, so Tony opened his eyes and sat up. 

He was in a dark cell, roughly 8x10, and the only source of light was coming through the edges of the solid metal door. There was nothing in the cell other than the bare bed frame bolted to the wall, and a bucket in the corner, presumably the closest thing  he was going to get to a toilet. 

There was no camera visible, but Tony knew better than to assume his captors weren’t keeping an eye on him somehow. He had to use the wall for support, but he manage to stand without too much difficulty. The chain around his ankle was just long enough to allow him to reach the far walls of his cell, not that he was in any condition to pace restlessly at the moment. 

There was no way for Tony to track the passage of time, but he had been awake for several hours before anyone came for him. The door to his cell opened, and two thugs dressed in all black walked in. One was carrying a tray of food, while the other had a stun baton out at the ready.

Tony shuffled his way into the corner, hands up in the universal sign for surrender. 

“First meal is free. After that, you need to earn your keep.” The goon holding the tray was the one to speak, the other one just stared intently at Tony, probably hoping for an excuse to use his weapon.

“And what does ‘earning my keep’ entail?” Tony asked.

“The boss will be the one to explain everything to you. Don’t bother getting any bright ideas about escaping, though. Hydra ain’t as stupid as the Ten Rings.”

At least that confirmed Tony’s suspicions about who his kidnappers were. Hydra had obviously bided their time well since the end of World War 2, and they wouldn’t have come out of the shadows now unless they were confident they wouldn’t be stopped.

Tony had no idea who, if anyone, would be coming to rescue him. He didn’t even know if Cap and the group he was working with had survived, much less if they’d managed to bring down the helicarriers or anything else to impact Hydra. 

So for now, he would bide his time as well. Pretend to go along with whatever Hydra wanted him to do, but not acquiesce so soon as to be suspicious. He just hoped his initial resistance to their plans wouldn’t result in severe punishment while he was still injured. One silver lining was he was alone here, as far as he knew. No other prisoner to be used against him as leverage. 

The tray of food was dropped onto the bed, and the two Hydra agents exited. The food was a couple of slices of plain bread and a hunk of mystery meat, as well as a bottle of water. There was no point worrying about it being poisoned or otherwise altered, anything Hydra wanted to do to him they could have while he was unconscious.

It felt like several more hours before a different pair of Hydra thugs came for him. These two weren’t as chatty as the other one had been earlier, just a terse instruction for Tony to “move” after they put him in handcuffs and removed the chain from his ankle. 

He was led down the corridor to a different, larger cell. There was a workbench along one wall, along with a few locked toolboxes and cupboards. Obviously his captors didn’t trust him with anything he could possibly use to escape. Standing in the centre of the room was a different Hydra agent to the ones he had encountered earlier. The deference shown by his escort and the different uniform suggested he was some higher level of Hydra agent, probably the boss he had been told about. Tony mentally dubbed him ‘Head Hydra Asshole.’ 

“Mister Stark! I’m so glad you could join us. We have such plans for you. You will become Hydra’s new Mechanic, and help us usher in a new age. One of order, not chaos. To begin with, we need the design specifications for the helicarrier engines you built for SHIELD. Your  _ friend _ Rogers’ actions forced us to step up our timeline somewhat, but it is just a minor setback. We still have one operational, but the other two require repairs. Which is where you come in.” 

“You can’t honestly believe I would ever willingly work for Nazi scum like you,” Tony said, which earned him a punch in the gut from the thug in his left. 

Hydra was deplorable, but they hadn’t kept themselves growing in the dark by being stupid. He had made a name for himself by pretending to bend to his kidnappers will before blowing them off the face of the planet, and it wasn’t going to be easy to pull it off a second time. 

“I am a reasonable man, Mr Stark. If you fall into line, you will find your time with Hydra quite pleasant. Refuse? You will find yourself severely regretting your decision.”

“Fuck you.” Another punch, this one from the other side. 

Head Hydra Asshole sighed, like he really was disappointed. “Return him to his cell. Maybe some time to think will lead you to reconsider, Mr Stark.” 

He was frogmarched back down the corridor, and all but thrown back into the cell. 

Like the first set of guards had warned, no food was brought to him, although they did give him the occasional bottle of water. Probably because he was no use to them if he died of dehydration before he gave in, not out of any sense of decency. 

He still had no way of tracking time, but it seemed like the beatings were being delivered twice a day. It was the same four goons in the same pairs, presumably morning and afternoon shift. Morning assholes had a thing for hitting around the face and head, while the afternoon beating was more focussed on body blows. They weren’t yet working to cause him serious damage, because it would be counterproductive to injure him so badly he wouldn’t be able to do the work they kidnapped him for. He was just glad they hadn’t learned of the Ten Rings waterboarding him, because if they’d tried that he might not have had the strength to see his plan through.

On what Tony was assuming was the sixth morning since he’d been captured he ‘broke.’ The morning shift came in like they usually did, but this time, instead of snarking at them, Tony dropped to his knees and begged. 

After being handcuffed and unchained he was dragged to workshop cell they’d taken him to in the beginning, where Head Hydra Asshole was waiting for him again. “Mr Stark. I’m so glad to see you’ve reconsidered working with us finally. But before we get down to business, please, have something to eat.”

He gestured at the workbench, where a covered tray was waiting. Six days without food meant that the bowl of cold oatmeal was one of the best meals he’d ever had, and Tony struggled to pace himself to avoid upsetting his stomach and bringing it all back up. 

When he had finished eating he turned around to find HHA was watching him with a smug smile, while the other two just looked bored. “Now what?” 

“Now, Mr Stark, you will recreate the blueprints for the engines. Only when I feel you have made sufficient progress will you be given your next meal, so slacking off in an attempt to delay is will only harm yourself. Do not waste your time, and mine, with attempting to sabotage the designs either. Hydra has several skilled engineers at at our disposal, and all of your work will of course be double and triple checked.”

“Of course,” Tony replied. He was willing to bet his skills at subtle sabotage against anyone Hydra wanted to throw at him, any day of the week. He was so confident that he was willing to wager his life on it, because he doubted Hydra would bother keeping him alive if they couldn’t control him. 

Hydra didn’t trust him with anything more technologically advanced than pencil and paper, so it was incredibly slow work. It was even slower as Tony had to figure out where to make ‘mistakes’ that were minor enough to not be noticed, but would add up to a big enough flaw to take down the entire helicarrier.

His work rate was so slow that he typically only earned one meal a day, but not so slow that they resumed beating the shit out of him despite their obvious frustration with him. Tony stretched it out for as long as he could, but after four weeks of work he had to declare the plans done. 

Knowing that he wasn’t truly aiding Hydra wasn’t enough to prevent the feeling of revulsion at himself when Moretti (as he had learned HHA was named) praised him exuberantly for his work. 

The next task he was assigned was to find ways to improve various weapons Hydra had at their disposal. They still didn’t trust him enough to actually hand him any of the weapons, not even with the power source removed or the weapon disabled in some other way, so he was again stuck with working from plans and schematics instead of anything physical. Which was the excuse he used whenever Moretti came to yell at him to work faster. 

Tony was working on a way to cause the batteries of a plasma rifle to overload and hopefully take out at least a few Hydra agents with it, under the guise of improving efficiency, when they came for him. 

His daily schedule as a Hydra prisoner had been consistent these past weeks. He would be woken up and escorted from his cell, expected to do work for Hydra, then returned to his cell, with one meal provided to him if he’d made sufficient progress in Hydra’s set task. So this sudden deviation of pulling him from the workspace after only a couple of hours had him worried. 

Instead of being taken left, back toward his cell, he was dragged off to the right. His guards usually weren’t gentle with him, but this time they were deliberately rougher than they needed to be. The grip they had on his arms was bruising and they pulling him off balance by walking faster than he could keep up with. If he wasn’t careful he was going to wind up flat on his face, which was probably the intent, and with his hands cuffed behind his back it was going to be a painful fall. 

He was shoved into what appeared to be a command centre of sorts. Moretti was in the middle of a video conference with Brent Sommer, who Tony recognised as a former highly ranked SHIELD agent, and apparent Hydra traitor. 

“There he is. The man responsible for the destruction of a helicarrier and the deaths of more than a hundred loyal Hydra agents.” Sommer sounded seriously pissed, in a way which suggested Tony was in for a world of hurt far beyond what Hydra had already put him through, but there was no hiding his grin at the news of his success. One hundred was more taken out than he could have hoped for. 

“I don’t know why Moretti hasn’t had you taken out the back and shot already,” Sommer continued. 

“He’s too valuable a tool for us not to take advantage of. We need to find a way to make him fall in line.”

“It’s too great a risk! You saw what happened with the engine, we can’t afford more losses like that. Pierce’s fuckup already cost us Zola, and the Asset is currently in the wind. If something goes wrong like that again we might as well give up and surrender to Captain America and the Avengers and what’s left of SHIELD.”

That… that was the first news Tony had heard about who was still alive. It was such a relief to hear Steve and the rest were out there kicking Nazi ass, and maybe, maybe even coming to rescue him if they could find him. 

“Which is exactly why we need Stark! Without Zola we don’t have a way to recreate the Insight Algorithm. We need a new AI capable of detecting threats to Hydra, and he’s the only one capable of doing it. You’ve seen the same reports SHIELD had about his electronic butler as I have. He can do it, and he’s the only one who can.”

“That doesn’t do us any good when we still can’t trust him. Who’s in charge of Pierce’s faction now? Rumlow, I think. Contact him and ask to borrow the chair.” Sommer snorted. “Like I said before, the Asset’s in the wind, so it’s not like it’s being used at the moment anyway, and Rumlow will be looking to shore up his position by currying favour with other leaders.”

“That doesn’t do us any good when he’s just a baseline human,” Moretti said repeating Sommer’s words back to him. “Odds are the chair will flat out kill him, not wipe him. Or it’ll wipe everything and leave him a useless drooling mess. No. We need to find a way bring him over to our side that doesn’t risk leaving him useless to us.” 

Sommer was silent in thought for a minute before he smiled in a way that sent chills up Tony’s spine. “Contact Strucker. Tell him to prepare for your arrival, and to make sure his little witch is ready to finally do something useful for us.” 


	2. A4- Amnesia

Tony was having a fucking shitty year. His two (three if you counted JARVIS, which Tony did) best friends had died and it was his fault. He’d turned to drugs and booze until he went off the rails a bit, until he finally listened to Obie and got himself into rehab. And now… Now he’d been kidnapped from Lernaean Springs Wellness Centre by a bunch of weirdos who all seemed to think he should know who they were. 

It was a team of six who’d come to ‘rescue’ him, as they called it, and now they had him at some sort of safe house. Of those six there was one he did recognise, sort of. 

Whoever they were all working for had chosen well for their knock-off Captain America. From what he could see of the man underneath the cowl the resemblance to the original was uncanny. Or maybe it was down to the wonders of plastic surgery. 

That was also probably how they had managed to have someone on the team they were trying to pass off as Rhodey. Initially Tony had thought he’d finally lost the plot and started hallucinating his dead best friend, but given the circumstances it was far more likely that this was all just part of their plan- convince Tony to do whatever it was they wanted by making him think he could trust Rhodey, and the rest by extension. 

The walls of the safe house were thin, which meant Tony could hear them all talking about him even though they’d stashed him in a room on his own, to ‘rest’ from the ‘ordeal.’ They weren’t making any effort to be quiet, he could hear them clearly, but that might have been a deliberate tactic- tell him what they wanted him to hear in a way he was more likely to believe. 

His reaction to ‘Rhodes’ was the topic of conversation, and they all seemed baffled that he hadn’t accepted the imposter with open arms. Someone, it sounded like the pretend Captain America but Tony couldn’t be sure, suggested that he go and pass on an ‘update’ to someone. There was a short argument, fake Rhodes apparently didn’t want to leave Tony, but in the end he accepted the point made by one of the others that Tony clearly didn’t want to see him and stomped off.  

“I didn’t want to say anything with him here, but I’m really doubting Stark’s sanity here.” That sounded like it was said by the one with the goddamn bow and arrows.  

“Obviously Hydra’s done something to mess with him, but he doesn’t seem as bad as Bucky was. Nat pulled some intel from their system, hopefully it tells us what they did and how we can undo it.” That sounded like fake Captain America, and Tony decided he’d had enough of listening to them talking about him like he was the one with a few screws loose and not them. They were the ones who had kidnapped him under the assumption he should know them and want to help them. 

He shouted through the door. “No one has  _ done _ anything to me, other than the assholes who decided to break in and kidnap me. Which would be you, Captain Knock-off and friends.”

The door of his room wasn’t locked and he cautiously made his way into the living area. His captors were all watching him cautiously, like he was a skittish animal that might lash out if cornered. 

Captain Knock-off was the first to speak up. “I know you’re probably not going to believe me, Tony, but I am the real Captain America. Steve Rogers.”

“How?” Tony asked. 

“The Valkyrie was found two years ago by a Russian oil drilling team. I don’t know who was more surprised to realise I survived, me or everyone else.”

That was a plausible explanation, but possible didn’t count for much. “Prove it,” Tony challenged. 

Rogers sighed heavily and actually started to blush. “Fondue,” was the only thing he said, and Tony nodded slowly. Howard and Aunt Peggy both had never told that story publicly, meaning it had never made into any of the history books or documentaries; but it still wasn’t irrefutable proof- there were others who knew it and might have shared it. 

The others took their cue from that, and the next person to introduce themself to Tony was the archer, Clint Barton apparently, even though he was told he never used the man’s name but instead had a variety of archery related nicknames. He was followed by Dr Bruce Banner, whose name rang a bell. The only woman on the team was next, she told him her name was Natasha Romanoff and that they were supposed to be good friends who spent a lot of time together. 

The last person left to introduce himself was the guy who had been wearing the winged jetpack Tony would have killed to get his hands on in other circumstances. The man opened his mouth to speak but Tony cut him off before he had a chance to say anything. “Let me guess, you’re gonna tell me you’re my new best friend.”

The man laughed. “I’m Sam Wilson, and we’ve never actually met before. You were taken by Hydra at about the same time I met those two,” he said and pointed at Rogers and Romanoff. “The others I met because we’ve all been trying to track you down and rescue you.” 

“You all keep saying you needed to rescue me from Hydra, but Hydra haven’t existed since the 40s. Just tell me what you really want from me. Is it money?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, well. Everyone thought Hydra was done and dusted, but we were wrong. They’d been biding their time in the shadows, for decades, and now they’ve come back. You were their captive for 4 months before we found you.”

“I wasn’t a captive!” Tony shouted. “I was in rehab,” he continued, quieter. “Just let me talk to Obie. He can clear all of this up, and whatever it is you won’t tell me you want from me he can arrange.”

They were all exchanging confused looks, except for Romanoff. She was looking at him in shock, and maybe pity. “Tony, when was the last time you talked to Stane?”

“In person? About three months ago, when he convinced me to go to the Wellness Centre. But just because I was in rehab again doesn’t mean I was going to ignore my obligations to the company. A few times a week I’d get emails from him to check on my progress and tell me what needed to be worked on next. There was the occasional phone call in there, too.”

“Okay,” she said gently, like he was back to being seen as an animal they were afraid of spooking. “I know you have no reason to trust us right now, but I’m going to ask you to anyway. I have some questions, and I need you to answer them honestly even though if it seems a bit odd.” 

Tony nodded. It was his best chance to maybe figure out what they wanted, based on what they asked, and he needed all the information he could get. 

“Does the name ‘the Mandarin’ mean anything to you?” she asked and Tony shook his head. She kept naming people and events that seemed to think he should know, and he kept shaking his head so much he was starting to get dizzy. She listed off Loki, “like the Norse god of mischief?”; Chitauri invading New York, “what the hell is a Chitauri?”; Stark Expo, “not since dear old dad held the last one in ‘84; Monaco Grand Prix, “I keep thinking I’d like to go, but the timing never works out”; Natalie Rushman, “name doesn’t ring a bell”; SHIELD, “other than the one he carries” as he pointed at the Captain; Iron Man, “great song, I like Black Sabbath.” 

“How about the Jericho presentation?” She asked, and finally there was something Tony could answer yes to.

“Okay, so you remember going to Afghanistan to demonstrate the Jericho missile? Tell me everything that happened while you were over there,” she demanded. 

“Nothing much to tell,” he replied, baffled that it was such a big deal to anyone. “We went, the demo went off without a hitch and the brass were all impressed, we came home. The end.”

“What about after that? Even if you think it’s something we should obviously know about, just humour me.”

Tony had been required to talk about what had happened to so many people on so many occasions that he was able to recite the bare facts without letting himself break down, even though thinking about it was a stab in the heart each time. “There was an explosion at the Stark Industries manufacturing plant. The arc reactor powering everything overloaded and almost a hundred people died. Rhodey and Pepper were two of the people who are dead because of me. JARVIS’s servers were damaged beyond recovery, including the backups. 

“To say I didn’t handle it well would be an understatement. I went a bit off the rails with booze and whatever else I could try to numb the pain. Obie stepped in after a while and sent me to rehab to ‘pull myself together,’ again. And that’s where I’ve been for the past few months, until you and the rest of your merry band came to ‘rescue’ me from the horror of learning healthy coping mechanisms.”

“That can’t be the only thing you were doing there, what else did you do?” Barton asked.

“I already told you,” Tony replied angrily. He was tired of having to repeat himself. “I was doing design work for Stark Industries, and I was starting to create a replacement for JARVIS.” He hadn’t been keen on the idea of developing a new AI, it seemed too much like replacing a child with a stuffed animal, but his therapists all seemed to think it would help him gain ‘closure’ so he’d been humouring them. 

They all exchanged worried looks again and started talking amongst themselves about someone or something named ‘Zola,’ until Wilson interrupted loudly with “wait! You said a few months?”

Tony nodded slowly, unsure why that seemed to be such a big deal. “The explosion was in September, and it took until December for Obie to get me to agree to rehab. Now it’s February, which means it's been about 5 months since everything in my life went to shit.” 

Everyone was back to staring at him in shock. “Tony, what year is it to you?”

“To me? It’s 2011 to everyone, unless you’re about to tell me time travel is suddenly somehow possible.”

Banner had largely been silent until now, but this was apparently what it took to get him involved. “If anyone could figure out time travel my money would be on you, but no. It’s 2014, May 18 to be specific. It seems like something’s messed with your memories, almost 5 years worth, and given you false memories to replace some of what you should remember.” 

“We should take him back to the Tower. He needs to be checked out, who knows what else they might have done to him,” Wilson said. 

“We asked Dr Cho to be on standby before the mission for exactly this reason.” 

“I’ll go tell Rhodes the change in plans.” Romanoff said. 

The rest gathered up their gear with the practiced precision of a well-oiled machine, which included getting him bundled back onto the quinjet before he had a chance to protest, let alone consider breaking free. 

“Rhodes has gone on ahead to the Tower. Said he wanted to give a heads up to Cho and  _ other people _ .” Romanoff was the last to board, she made herself at home at the controls. Somehow she knew he was watching her, without even turning around, because she said “normally you’re the one to call shotgun on being pilot if you’re onboard, but under the circumstances I thought it best that I do all the flying.” 

With the prospect of an awkward silence and nothing else to talk about it was decided they would take it in turns to list off the almost 5 years of events that had supposedly happened that he had no memory of. 

It started with Tony having been kidnapped by terrorists in Afghanistan leading to him creating a suit of armour to escape, and the story got more and more outlandish from there. The scars on his chest were supposedly not from the explosion at SI, but from shrapnel at the time he was taken and where a miniaturised arc reactor implanted in his chest, which he used to pilot a suit of armour as ‘Iron Man.’ Then he’d been recruited to a team of superheroes to save the planet from a Norse god’s attempt to take over with an army of aliens called Chitauri, which he’d succeeded in stopping by flying a nuke through a wormhole. Also, his Malibu home had apparently been destroyed when he’d challenged a terrorist on national television. 

The worst part was hearing that Obie had supposedly been the one to arrange his kidnapping, and then tried to murder him multiple times. Obie. Who had been there for him when there was no one else left who gave a shit about him. 

It all sounded so ridiculous, absurd beyond belief, but there was a sense of familiarity to what he had been told. Like a song he’d forgotten the words to, but could still hum the melody of. And some of what they were telling him could have been taken verbatim from a diary of his dreams, if he’d kept one. He hadn’t told anyone about the dreams, not even his therapists. 

“We’re five minutes out from the Tower,” Romanoff called out from the cockpit. 

Tony wasn’t sure where he had expected his kidnappers to be taking him, but New York certainly hadn’t been high on the list of possibilities. It was definitely New York he could see through the window, but the skyline was slightly different, not quite right. He couldn’t see some of the buildings he was expecting to see, they were missing and there were new ones up in their place. 

There was one new skyscraper in particular that caught his attention, and it seemed like it was the one they were flying towards. It… it was  _ his _ tower. He’d had the idea to build a tower in New York for years, but it had never been a serious plan. When he was stuck on a project he would sometimes spend time designing the tower in his head as a change of pace, but he had never told anyone about it, not even JARVIS. There should be nothing, not even a sketch on a napkin, that physically existed for his tower, but here it was. Right in front of him, all 93 stories of it. 

Everything that had happened today was adding up to an answer that seemed unbelievable, but as he learned from Sherlock Holmes “when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” The evidence staring him in the face was more than could be waved away as a coincidence or madness on the part of his kidnappers. 

The quinjet touched down smoothly on the landing pad and the rear hatch opened. None of the others made a move to disembark, they just stared at him. Figuring he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, Tony took the hint and exited the jet.

The only place for him to go was through the door at the other end of the pad, into the Tower. It was set out exactly as it was in his mind; including the bar to the left, just where he knew it would be.

“Welcome home, sir.” 

That was JARVIS’s voice. JARVIS was here and he was okay, and this was officially all too much for Tony to handle. His legs weren’t doing a good job of supporting him, and he found himself sliding onto the floor with his back braced by the wall, head hidden in his hands. 

There were two possibilities Tony could see. The first was that this was all just a hallucination or delusion because he’d finally gone completely mad and lost his grip on reality. Or this was all really happening, and the others hadn’t been lying to him. Which would mean Rhodey had been real too. Tony had rejected him and pushed him away, but Rhodey had come for him. 

The chime of the elevator made him look up, right as the doors opened to reveal Rhodey and Pepper. 

Seeing them standing there was enough to shatter Tony’s fragile composure and he broke down sobbing; great heaving cries managed to escape despite his effort to keep control. 

Then they were both there, holding him tight from either side. He wasn’t sure whose shoulder his face was pressed into or whose hand it was stroking through his hair, but that was unimportant. What was important was that Rhodey and Pepper were both there with him. They were telling him “it’ll all be okay,” and for the first time in almost a year, Tony finally believed it. 


End file.
